Physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of Ras El-Ain basin,
Tyr, Lebanon
Abstract
Lebanon’s natural water resources are facing serious problems and
approaches exhaustion. One of these issues is deteriorating performance,
which is linked to unregulated resource planning and rising demand.
There are many different types of consumption, such as residential,
industrial, and irrigation. Surface and groundwater are both referred to
designate water resources. However, due to the obvious accessibility of
exploitation, surface water resources such as rivers, lakes, and basins
are primarily used. The Ras El-Ain basin is 6 km far south of Tyr,
Lebanon. The Lebanese state dedicated it, along with other reservoirs,
to supply potable water for Tyr and the surrounding villages. Today,
these basins’ water quality has deteriorated significantly because of
unrestricted liquid and soil waste dumping. As a result, contaminants
develop in the basin water. Aside from laboratory testing for water
quality, contamination can be seen through direct observations, odors,
watercolors, and patterns. The purpose of this study is to assess the
level of pollution in the Ras El-Ain basin. This basin has been
progressively subjected to a variety of quality degradation
characteristics. This includes the most important physiochemical
properties. As a result, the physicochemical and microbiological water
characteristics of five selected samples from each basin were tested.
These tests were performed in accordance with European Standard Methods
and World Health Organization guidelines (WHO). The effect of pollutant
disposal in the Ras El-Ain basin was studied using multivariate
approaches. The obtained results were used to evaluate the pollution
degree in various regions of the basin.